This photo of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez gesticulating as she grills Mark Zuckerberg has spawned an Italian meme
One Twitter user was reminded of their own experience of not being Italian themselves, but picking up the hand gesture from the Italians around them.
For others, the hand gesture has become something readily picked up by fast-talking New Yorkers, both Italian and not alike.
#ItalianAOC
Everyone who grew up in NYC DOES this
It's just the way it is
......Yo Stugotz.... pic.twitter.com/42F043R6MR
Ocasio-Cortez's gestures were used in many, many references to classically Italian foods.
*when the mozzarell is fresh* pic.twitter.com/LiM4OQwGD7
— mike mulloy (@fakemikemulloy) October 28, 2019There's no clear consensus on whether these hand gestures are meant to express a positive or negative emotion. Here, it seems that a positive response would be appropriate...
When the cannoli has chocolate on one end and pistachios on the other pic.twitter.com/7rGO0UFuy1
— 🔪Slashy Larry🔪 (@hashy_larry) October 28, 2019... While here, Ocasio-Cortez's are more obviously meant to emphasize that something went wrong with someone's recipe using Italian herbs.
"I said just a HINT of oregano and NO bay leaves!"#ItalianAOC pic.twitter.com/zlkQwRruEP
— Angry Asian #Angry&Motivated #ProudLiberalSCUM (@AngryandAsian) October 29, 2019But others used the Italian-linked gestures to pull out their favorite quotes and lines in movies, like this one referencing a scene from "A Christmas Story" where the Old Man mispronounces "fragile."
Source: TBS on YouTube
“Fra-gee-lay” #ItalianAOC ❤️🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/1PHu8W6337
— Lizeficent (@JustMyTweet) October 29, 2019Other users referenced "gabagool," a New Jersey-esque mispronunciation of a deli red meat made popular in "The Sopranos," and later used by Michael Scott in "The Office."
Source: Esquire
When the gabagool is fresh pic.twitter.com/UslFx4OSmO
— Humerus Skeleton Pun (@Trilliam_Yeats) October 28, 2019Then there were, of course, countless famous lines from the classic Italian mob movie, "The Godfather."
Source: Independent
“Leave the gun, take the cannoli” #ItalianAOC pic.twitter.com/DPHf5UDsut
— ZiggyDaddy™ (@Ziggy_Daddy) October 29, 2019Some Twitter users adjusted some of the most famous "Godfather" lines to make them more appropriate to appear alongside a photo of Ocasio-Cortez. Congress saw testimony not only from Zuckerberg on Oct. 23, but also from officials related to the impeachment inquiry into President Trump.
Source: CNN
You come to me on this, the day of Trump’s impeachment #ItalianAOC pic.twitter.com/6wvZCvqQEf
— C🎃NN🎃R (@CMKelley___) October 29, 2019It comes to no surprise that other users also referenced Ocasio-Cortez's much-discussed Green New Deal proposal for tackling climate change.
I’ll make him a green new deal he can’t resist. #italianaoc pic.twitter.com/9sT3jb7p2l
— Jeffrey Donston (@DonstonJeffrey) October 29, 2019Popular Right Now
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